An Unprepared Confession
by DarkAdvent
Summary: After Boey's confession was abruptly interrupted, his doubts and insecurities drown him as he is unsure of how to even approach Mae again. Now, Mae and Boey are on their way back home now that the war has ended. It is time for fate to roll in and allow the two young mages to finally confess their true feelings to one another. Mae X Boey. Shadows of Valentia fic.


Night had fallen upon the Valentian skies. People were getting a well-deserved rest as the continent found itself in one of its first peaceful nights after the War of the Gods. With many cities and villages reduced to nothing as well as an enormous loss of life due to the massive conflict, which shifted from a war between RIgel and Zofia into a direct battle against the corrupted Divine Dragons, the people were exhausted and yet ready to begin anew.

Deep within the south Valentian sea, the rough waves calmed down and the silence of the night kicked in. A rather small ship was sailing under the moonlight, with its direction set straight towards the island of Novis. Being fairly late, the entire crew were entranced in a deep sleep, as the deck was absolutely clear and the only sound that could be heard were be the soft ocean waves.

This would not last however, as particular white-haired mage quietly made his way onto the deck, and was quick to lean on to the edge of the boat as he stared into the full moon which now stood above the whole world.

He let out a sigh, as he now looked down into the water, and in his reflection all he saw was a young man full of doubts, guilt and regret. He glared at his reflection before suddenly pulling back and putting his hands onto his head, breathing heavily as his outburst made him the angriest he's ever been in his life. He wanted to yell at himself, but was aware of what time it was so he did his best to merely whisper.

"DAMNIT, BOEY! WHY MUST YOU BE SUCH A COWARD!?" Boey was almost mad enough to pull his hair, but for some reason he just couldn't bring himself to do anything. Instead, he collapsed on the floor, still using his hand to cover his face.

"Mae… Why have I been so bloody rude to her!? Ever since my confession got interrupted, I've been far too scared to even talk to her again! What's wrong with me!? She's going to hate me for this!"

Boey could now feel a few tears rolling coming out of his eyes, as he tried to remember everything that had happened up until this point. He slowly remembered his attempt at a confession back when they were in Duma Tower, which kickstarted the chain of events which he painfully regretted.

* * *

 _Mae and Boey were scouting a wide and dark corridor on their own. They found themselves high upon Duma's Tower, a place full of ruins, darkness and worst of all for them, Terrors._

 _Celica had ordered her army to split in small groups and search for a path that lead to the next floor, and from the moment she said the two of them would go by themselves, they looked at each other in fear and felt shivers down their spines.  
They both hated Terrors, and in fact Boey had spent the last few weeks helping Mae with her problem as she couldn't bring herself to fully accept the fact that they were killing both living people as well as the undead._

 _They kept walking quietly as they held up small flares above their hands, using them as a source of light to find their way in the immense and seemingly never-ending corridor. The fire could barely enlighten within 2 meters of them, as everything beyond slowly faded into grey and eventually total blackness. They often got on the verge of screaming as they walked among all the debris and heard rather quiet, yet noticeable noises around them. All of this as they were alone and far away from everyone else, their only company being each other as they traversed the tower built to worship the fell god Duma. Needless to say, they were terrified._

 _Mae had been wanted to start up a conversation for a few minutes now. All they were doing was wander into every room they encountered within the corridor and then continue their straightforward path._

 _She wanted to talk to him, at least that way she wouldn't feel as scared as she was. She was always a master at keeping her thoughts secret, and right now she was extremely terrified. Ever since she could remember, she had always been scared of the dark, but learned how to keep her cool because she didn't want other people to make fun of her. She eventually also learned how to keep feelings to herself, without giving any kind of hint as to how she felt unless she wanted that person to know._

 _But that was one thing which she kept a secret from everyone. Her crush on Boey._

 _She wanted to say all of this to Boey, as from her perspective the poor young man had absolutely no clue of her romantic feelings for him, while in fact that he also harbored feelings for her, and neither of them knew exactly how to approach the other about it. She wasn't sure if she just wanted to let all of her emotions out. Heck, she didn't know when or why she started thinking about doing this at all, but she most certainly wanted to break the awkward and eerie silence that reigned between them, engulfed by the darkness of that desolate corridor. She just wanted to… Say something._

 _And she finally did._

" _Say, Boey?"_

 _The fellow mage was almost startled by the sudden disturbance to the otherwise complete silence. He looked at Mae almost instantly, always interested in what his lifelong friend had to say._

 _"What is it?"_

 _Mae's eyes started to wander off a bit, before quickly answering Boey's question._

 _"Travelling around the world is pretty fun and all, but… I still think I prefer a quiet life of watching the sea back on the island. How about you?"_

 _She had wanted to hear this from him for quite a while, as this would determine her chances of finally revealing her feelings for him after the war was over… If it was ever over, that is. Boey didn't spend even a second to think and put up a soft smile on his face. Not surprisingly, he had also been wanting to start up a conversation, but he had also been thinking about his feelings for Mae and if she would ever answer to them at all. Despite the darkness and the loneliness around them, he felt somewhat courageous now, especially since they were alone and the rest of the army were finding their own way up this tediously huge tower._

" _Well, this isn't a conversation I thought we'd be having today. But of course I want to go soon. My family is waiting for me, after all."_

 _Mae tilted her head, and attempted to hide her frustration for his answer by quietly giggling._

" _Yeah… I guess…"_

 _She looked away from him upon saying this, as now Boey was curious as to why Mae seemed to be down all of a sudden._

" _You guess? What's that mean?"_

 _The female mage tried to regain her composure as to not make it obvious that she wanted to say something else._

" _Well, we could also stick with Celica and live in a big fancy castle, yeah? I just wasn't sure sure which one you'd prefer."_

 _Boey was surprised by her response, seemingly very concerned about his own decisions. WHich honestly made him embarrassed, as he was the one being secretly concerned about her future decisions. He blinked, and saw this as an opportunity to declare his feelings for her. The war was having a toll on everyone, but for him, he was always afraid that he might not live to see another day. To see the day where he finally confesses to his dearest friend Mae. So he decided to take the bet._

" _Uh, you're head back to the island, yeah?"_

 _Mae looked down, afraid that her final destination would differ from that of Boey. She suddenly felt hopeless,that there was no way that he would ever respond to her feelings._

" _... Yeah…"_

 _Boey smiled, as he did his best to hold back the blush in his face._

" _Then that's where I'm going as well."_

 _Mae suddenly snapped, as it was now her who started to blush in amazement to hear Boey comply._

" _Huh? Wait, what's that mean?"  
_

 _Boey just couldn't hold it, and his face became a light shade of red as he was now annoyed to see that Mae, being the huge tease that she was, couldn't really get the hint he just dropped on her. In reality, Mae was shocked and in disbelief as suddenly Boey had turned the tables on her. He felt like he was going to explode in embarrassment, but decided to finish the act by mocking Mae and him being the tease this time._

 _"Are you really such a dope that you can't figure it out?"_

 _. . ._

" _WAAAAAT!?"_

 _Just as Mae screamed, a large hoard of Terrors appeared out of the darkness and charged towards them. The scene being abruptly cut, soon enough Kamui, Lyon and Valbar found their way to where Mae's scream came from and arrived to help them._

 _After that incident, Boey felt so frustrated and unsure that he refused to say a word towards Mae, as he left the young girl frustrated as well since she wanted to know if he really meant what she thought he was going to say. Things were dim for the two, as they didn't say a word to each other except when they were trapped below Rigel Castle._

* * *

While Boey continued to release his frustration, it just so happened that a certain pink-haired Mage was also having trouble sleeping.

Downstairs in the dorms which sheltered the crew and passengers of the ship, only one person lied fully awake on her hard yet serviceable bed. Eyes fixed on the ceiling and hands resting below her head, Mae wasn't feeling tired at all as her mind was clouded in worry. The source of her worries being her childhood friend and long time crush: Boey.

She gave a deep sigh. She wasn't sure as to why Boey had been avoiding her ever since his suddenly interrupted confession, but far from being upset, she has severely concerned about him. Sure, she was caught in surprise when Boey pretty much confirmed that he had feelings for her as well, but this was pretty much why she was concerned: They've known each other ever since they were kids, and she knew more than most how deep down, hidden behind that know-it-all mostly serious guy, lied a very shy and insecure individual.

She then slightly shook her head, trying to shift her thoughts towards something a little more cheerful, perhaps even silly. Which eventually led her to dig up memories of her childhood.

Mae and Boey grew together at the priory, as their parents would send them there to to become faithful followers of Mila, is hopes that their kind goddess would bless their island with better harvests as the last few years had seen a massive drought.

At first, they didn't get along very well. Mae's wild and excited attitude clashed rather fiercely with Boey's quiet and calm demeanor. When they first met Mae very often made fun of Boey, teasing him for his massive insecurities and for being 'too afraid of too many things', making Mae pretty much his own personal bully who, while never humiliated him publicly, was still there to tease him.

Soon enough, it turned out that the two most prodigious students at the Priory were none other than Mae and Boey. Since then, Mae started to grow a little more respect for Boey, just a little. Despite how annoying Boey found all of her criticisms to be at first, he eventually grew used to them and even started to find her teases as fun, which did make him question his sanity a few times.

In the end, he always made sure to be by her side since he eventually had an eye-opening revelation: she was the only student whom he ever regularly talked to, or rather, who regularly talked to him. His reserved nature never won him any friends, and he always unconsciously rejected anyone who tried to approach him. The only other student who he managed to get along was Genny, who was almost as insecure as him, but it was more so that her only friend was Mae, and since Mae tended to stick to Boey's side a lot, that meant Genny followed her as well. With Boey and Genny developing an almost silent, yet certain friendship.

Mae and Boey eventually warmed up to each other and could become actual, real friends. Her teasing nature could never change, that is a fact, but they could depend on each other and spent a lot time together.

Their bond was strengthened when they were chosen by Arch Priest Nomah to be his most trusted disciples. He introduced them to a red-haired girl named Celica, were told that she must be protected at all costs for secret reasons, and from then on he entrusted them to be her protectors. And from then on the two of them had private lessons apart from the other students as they prepared for their eventual duty.

That was until the day that Celica decided to leave Novis and head to Mila's Temple, as the situation had gotten far too desperate and they went on to accompany her on her journey.

Mae sighed, thinking now of everything they did over their journey through the War of the Gods. But eventually it all came back to thinking about Boey and why he could possibly be acting in such a cold way. She felt way too awake to stay in her bed, so she decided to stand up and get out to the deck and get some fresh air.

Since she didn't have any sort of sleepwear with her, she had always slept wearing her regular clothes during the entirety of the war, only removing her shoulder-pads and chestplate to let her well-sized chest time to breathe from the metal armor, feeling her soft clothing as their only restrain.

She put on her shoes and made her way out her cabin, slowly closing the door as she didn't want to annoy anyone by waking them up. She walked up the stairs and made her way towards the door outside, but just as she was about to open it, she heard an awfully familiar voice coming from the deck. Her eyes opening way in realization of who it was.

"WHY!? Why must I be so big a fool that I cannot even bring myself to approach her in the slightest!? I'm a terrible friend! I'm a terrible person! This is no way to treat the person who I hold dearest to me! Arghh!" He kept going on and on for quite some time, as he kept mentally torturing himself without knowing that he had some unexpected company.

Mae kept listening to every word Boey said, which only caused her worries to become bigger. She was still very happy that her feelings were returned, but seeing Boey mentally beat himself up made filled her with a sense of frustration. She could feel her heart start to pound faster and faster, all she wanted to do was run towards her dear friend and hug him tightly. She desired this so much in fact, that without even realizing it she gave a step forward and stepped on a broken plank of wood. It made quite a noticeable sound, enough to catch Boey's attention and making him turn around in an instant. Just as he turned around he gave a very quiet yelp, afraid that someone might have been listening to him.

He almost got a heart attack upon realizing that the peeper was in fact Mae. But while he did not lose consciousness (as he had seriously hoped), his face did boil up becoming as red as a Dragon's breath.

"M-M-M-MAE!?"

He felt his legs tremble and was ready to collapse on the floor out of pure embarrassment. Despite this, he never got his eyes off of her. The one responsible for all of these strong emotions the young man had been feeling. The one who has always been there for him, even if she was a bit rough most of the time. The person he truly loved.

He felt lost as he dived into her eyes, while Mae herself merely walked up towards him bearing a warm, calming and oddly goofy smile. He came back to reality and felt his face burn up even more as Mae enveloped him in a tight embrace.

Boey froze where he stood, paralyzed for a few seconds before he could snap out of this pleasing shock and could return the hug. Just as they held each other, Boey suddenly felt like an act of sorcery had been cast upon him: All of his worries, his anger, his regret, they were all but gone and replaced with overwhelming joy. Mae let out a small sigh and started to caress his snow-white hair.

"Oh Boey…" she said quietly as they continued their embrace, still caressing his hair. She giggled.

"You know… I'm not really mad at you for ignoring me and all that. I just… I was sorta confused. Sure, I'm VERY happy that you like me too… But I know you, Boey. I just thought this was something too sudden and big for you and that you needed more time to process it. Oh, for crying out loud, I don't think I have fully processed this either!"

Mae then stopped their hug, now putting her hands on Boey's shoulders and looking at him dead in the eye.

"So now, I swear to Mila and Duma that I never thought bad of you for all this. And you don't have to be so darn tough on ?"

Boey only looked at her with sadness. Even with what she said, he still felt guilty and like a complete idiot for ever doubting himself and probably hurting some of Mae's feelings along the way. He knew he had to change this, that his cocky-and-wise facade would not protect him forever. And that if there was someone who would be with him all the way, it was Mae. This was at the heart of all the reasons he loved her.

"Thank you, Mae… But what I did was still wrong. It was never my intent to worry you. Because I… I… Ngh..."

He looked away from her, Mae immediately giggling as soon as she noticed. It was now her time to blush, and once Boey looked back at her his eyes opened wide open. Never in his life has he ever seen Mae blush as deep as she was now, though she still kept her smile.

"Then… If you want me to stop worrying, just say it, you big dummy!"

She said this sentence expecting Boey to freak out or start blushing like crazy yet again, trying to poke a bit of fun in this rather tense and a little awkward situation. Boey just looked at her unfazed, still flustered as his brain didn't know how to react anymore. She decided that she couldn't hold it back anymore,that if the situation had gotten as far as it had, she might as well do her part and lend Boey a hand if he was having trouble wording his thoughts. Mae squeezed her eyes shut, getting her face as red as a tomato and deeply inhaling before saying what she had kept as her ultimate secret for the last couple of years.

"I LOVE YOU, BOEY!"

Mae almost screamed before she remembered the time it was, overwhelmed by her emotions being released right towards the one who caused them. She was on the verge of crying at this point. But she went on.

"Ever since we were children… I've loved you very much… AND I WANT YOU TO SAY IT, TOO!"

Boey's mind snapped at the scene his eyes were witnessing. He wanted to say something, but couldn't bring his mouth to let out any sound as his amazement was almost as intense as his love for her. She was his best friend, and the person who stole his heart ever since they met. He loved her, he loved her very much and would continue to love her until the end of his days. But for some reason he just couldn't let out a word come out of himself.

Just then, Boey felt his shyness disappear, leaving only his pure yet intense feelings for the girl that stood before him. He grabbed all of his courage and stepped forward, embracing an extremely shocked Mae who would've asked what was wrong, if this wasn't immediately followed by Boey pushing his lips over hers.

Mae's eyes became wide open, as she felt so charmingly surprised that she would've lost her consciousness right there, but the absolute bliss of locking her lips with those of the guy she truly loved made her want to enjoy every single second of it.

The two young mages stood there, embracing under the full moon and above the soothing rhythm of the waves, as they sealed their love for each other in their first (and very wonderful) kiss.

After spending almost an entire minute with their lips locked onto each other's, they finally stopped as they were started panting and searching for air.

They quickly recovered,however, and soon enough they were embracing again, as the moonlight allowed Boey to perfectly look at Mae's face, the light reflecting on her eyes while the tears were drying up, her mouth slightly opened.

Boey could do nothing but smile and hold her tightly. He barely blinked before sealing their sentimental deal.

"... I love you, Mae. I truly do."

The girl's response being putting her right hand on his cheek, before closing her eyes and putting on what borders between a smile and a smirk.

"Now… It wasn't so difficult to say, was it?"

Even if she wouldn't have continued, she was stopped from teasing him further as he gently kissed her once again, Boey's emotions finally getting absolute relief. He couldn't possibly be any happier, and neither could Mae.

They spend a few more minutes sitting on the edge of the boat, either looking at each other or at the wavering dark blue floor which extended as far as their eyes could see. They reminisce about their past, with laughs coming up often as Mae kept telling all of Boey's embarrassingly charming stories. They then started talking about their plans for the future, and both were in love with the idea or living together in a house by the sea back at the Island. Then, they kissed for the last time before going to (finally) get some sleep.

It turns out that the following afternoon they would at last arrive to the place they called home. After stepping on land and Mae getting a nice and much needed stretch, and the two of them treating themselves with the island's signature seafood to fill their stomachs, they both agreed to go home to reunite with their families, swearing to keep their new relationship for a little while.

While Mae visited her own parents, Boey made way to his poor home and after sitting down a whole day to tell his parents and his siblings of all of the amazing things he witnessed and did, he ended by having a private talk with his father about his love for Mae.

His dad was nothing but a poor, yet experienced fisherman. And upon hearing his boy's story and how he found the one he loves, they called Boey's mom and he was made by his father to tell her the story. After having a very small dinner later that night, his parents called him to speak privately again, and his mother handed him the same wedding ring which his father gave to her when he proposed to her.

The ring was as expected, nothing big or fancy, but Boey knew the significance of it and cherished his parents for always doing their best to keep their children as happy as they could.

The day after that Mae and Boey agreed to meet up at the Temple with Genny, Nomah and the rest of the Temple's Priests and Clerics.

In a bold move which surprised even Mae (who blushed like crazy), it was then that Boey kneeled down and proposed marriage to his beloved, promising to make her as happy as she can and to always be there for her. The people at the Temple clapping and whistling as Nomah smiled upon seeing two of his most successful disciples find the blessing that is true love.

They held their wedding at the same Temple that saw them grow and blossom as close friends and prodigious students. They made sure to invite everyone they knew and met during the war, as even the King and Queen of Valentia found their way to attend the wedding of the Queen's most trusted friends. With Nomah himself holding the wedding ceremony.

They fulfilled their promise of spending their lives on the coast of Novis, being at each other's side and enjoying every moment they could. They had arguments, for sure, Mae's personality was too strong to let go of her teasing attitude, but they would always be very minor with both of them laughing them off in the end. Soon enough, children came. They had two girls and a boy who seemed to inherit the opposite personalities of their parents, as the girls were shy and often fell to insecurities, while the boy was a massive tease with everyone he knew and rarely held back from being outgoing. Thanks to their hard work, the family were able to sustain themselves very well, eventually being able to build a new home for Boey's now retired parents. Mae and Boey lived happily for the rest of their lives, as they spent countless hours with their ever growing children going outside, laying back and staring at the vast and seemingly endless sea.

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

Well, here it is! My 3rd work of fanfiction ever. This is also my very first attempt at writing anything with heavy romance, so please feel free to criticize if you will! Echoes is definitely one of my favorite game, as the extreme makeover they made to the characters is beyond amazing. I just loved Mae and Boey's dynamic and felt like I could expand upon it a bit more.

With this out of the way, I will keep working on my two previous works and future works, too. If you read this far, thank you for reading and have a nice day ^-^


End file.
